


put your thoughts away (smile for me every day)

by mainvocalrocky (infinityxu)



Series: seventeen sickfic/injury/etc requests 2019 [2]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Exhaustion, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Sick Character, Sickfic, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-01-23 01:40:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18539689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infinityxu/pseuds/mainvocalrocky
Summary: Five times Seungcheol was there for his kids, and one time they were there for him.





	1. joshua

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kimberley120502](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimberley120502/gifts), [DaruiRan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaruiRan/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> joshua misses his home. seungcheol plans to fix that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys! i've combined two requests for this one, hope ya'll don't mind:
> 
> Requester: "kimberley120502"  
> \--> "I was thinking maybe one with Seungcheol who is exhausted and all the boys band together to take care of him. I don’t really mind any ship . I’m really looking forward to reading your work !!!!"  
> and -  
> Requester: "DaruiRan"  
> \--> "Hei, I found this here and felt so happy. Can I request a story with Seungcheol!Centric ? Something about anxiety or pannic attack that he tried to hide that form he others, yet failed. So the others take care of him, showering him with all love he deserve. There is not a lot story about that. Seungcheol is the greatest leader SEVENTEEN can get. And I love him so so so much"
> 
> so i've decided to turn this one into a 5+1 kind of thing! the last chapter will be the one that includes what ya'll have asked for, but it'll be longer than the first couple ones, don't worry! i have a lot of it done already, I just need to fine tune it and i'll post the updates as i can~ i hope you enjoy!!

Seungcheol had hardly spoken to Joshua in the three days since the latter joined the company, and he needed to change that.

 

“I realized I don't know a lot about you besides where you're from.” Seungcheol decided to start with as soon as everyone else had left the practice room. They were supposed to follow too, but Joshua was mindlessly strumming at his guitar, and Seungcheol stayed before because he’d been meaning to talk to him anyway.

 

Joshua looked up with those little doe eyes for a moment, and then around as if he were wondering if Seungcheol was talking to someone else - and even then, he looked hesitant to answer. It was kind of cute, but at the same time, it made Seungcheol sad. Joshua must have been used to hiding, not being paid any attention to.

 

Seungcheol stood over the latter, who looked up at him, holding his guitar close to his chest as if trying to protect it.

 

“Oh, uh…” he started, somewhat clearing this throat, probably from a mix of awkwardness and lack of using it. “Um, what do you want to know - hyung?”

 

Seungcheol blinked. Hold on. “Wait, I thought you were born in ‘95. In December, right?”

 

Joshua looked like he wanted to take back everything he said, positive he’d messed up. “I - I was.” Joshua murmured, swallowing back his nervousness.

 

“I was born that year too, so you don't have to call me hyung,” Seungcheol assured him. He forgot that Joshua wasn’t raised in Korea, so he didn’t know things like that.

 

Joshua still looked majorly confused. “But - you're still older than me.”

 

“I know, but you would only call me hyung if I was born in a previous year to you,” Seungcheol explained, and Joshua hummed the longest _ohhhhhh_ Seungcheol had ever heard from a person.

 

It made Seungcheol laugh, but that just made Joshua even more embarrassed.

 

“Sorry, it's kinda confusing.” Joshua half smiled, standing up with his guitar in his hand, so he could go put it away. Seungcheol followed him into the room where they kept the guitars.

 

“Yeah. They don't do any of that in America, right?” Seungcheol asked, his head tilted. He wasn’t really sure how it worked in Amerca, he’d never been there.

 

“Not really. I mean, there’s polite ways to address people and stuff, but not like it is here. It’s kinda hard to explain.” Joshua shrugged as he hung up his guitar

 

“Is it true that Americans have canned bread?” Seungcheol asked with an eyebrow raised, trying to brighten the mood of the room a little bit. He'd heard that from someone, somewhere before, but Hansol and Samuel couldn't confirm it. They definitely acted like it was possible, though. But, they were also kids.

 

“What? Like, bread in a can?” Joshua asked, looking at Seungcheol like he had a third eye or something. Seungcheol blinked. “I don't...think so? Do Koreans think we put bread in cans?”

 

“...Maybe.” Seungcheol was the embarrassed one, now. “It's also possible that every trainee here believes that. Maybe.”

 

He'd never heard Joshua laugh before, but it was kind of cute.

 

They were quiet for a little bit, Seungcheol taking a seat in the little room, Joshua staring at his guitar, a hand. Clearly, he was deep in thought. Seungcheol decided to take a guess at what it was.

 

“You miss it there, huh? A lot?”

 

Seungcheol knew that was a sore spot. It was a sore spot for Junhui, for Mingming, for Samuel - hell, it was a sore spot for anyone who's family lived more than an hour away from their dorms. He was pretty sure if he took all of the trainees into a room and collectively asked them if they missed their homes, at least nine of them would start crying.

 

He couldn't imagine leaving his home behind like that. He wasn't sure he could do it at all. Joshua was really brave.

 

Joshua only nodded, his eyes off elsewhere.

 

“I'm sorry for eavesdropping, but, I heard you crying yesterday. In the bathroom.” Seungcheol admitted. That was the reason he had wanted to talk to Joshua. He couldn't bring himself to do it when it happened, he felt like he didn't have a right to.

 

Joshua froze up, his shoulders tense, still not looking anywhere near Seungcheol. “I didn’t think anyone was awake.”

 

Seungcheol patted the seat next to him, moving the chair a little so that if Joshua sat in it, Seungcheol could at least look at him. Joshua didn’t go for it at first. He looked like he wanted to leave more than anything, jut brush it off like it didn’t matter. But it mattered a lot to Seungcheol. He didn’t want Joshua to be hurting silently.

 

Eventually, Joshua took the seat, his shoulders still tense.

 

“I found Junnie at that little Chinese food place down the street once, crying his eyes out. And I didn’t say anything, didn’t even make myself known to him. I thought Mingming was there with him, they’re usually always together.” Seungcheol started, his eyes at the floor, too. “But when I came back to here, and told Mingming, he said he didn’t have any idea. And that didn’t make any sense to me. They’re close, I didn’t get why he wouldn’t try to confide in him if something was wrong.”

 

“He missed China?” Joshua asked softly.

 

“He did. He does. He hasn’t seen his family in almost two years.” Seungcheol said, and he saw how much that almost physically hurt Joshua to hear. “I talked to him later that night, and he told me he didn’t want to tell Mingming, or anyone, because we all miss home. He thought, it was selfish of him to even think about going to Mingming about that, because he hasn’t seen his family in years either.”

 

Joshua gave a tiny little nod.

 

“But...I don’t want anyone here to think that you can’t miss home because everyone else does. I don’t want you to be alone if you’re hurting, okay?” Seungcheol told him, softly but sternly. “It’s hard. We _all_ know how hard it is, and none of us want anyone here to feel like they’re ever alone at any point.”

 

Joshua nodded again. He wiped at his eyes, but didn’t look up.

 

“I know we can’t replace your real family, but I want you to know that we’re your family now too. And we’ll do anything to help you feel at home.”

 

That’s when Joshua really broke down. His hands covering his face, not wanting to be in anyone’s sight - but Seungcheol got up to hug him. To hold him as closely as possible.

 

Seungcheol knew how hard it was going to be for Joshua. He knew he would want to give up, and maybe he even would at some point, but Seungcheol wanted him at least to feel loved, to feel like he had a home when he wasn’t home.

 

Seungcheol was going to make sure of that.

 

* * *

 

Seungcheol had a feeling that Joshua saw himself in the new kid. He was constantly looking over at him ever since he had gotten to their practice rooms. He didn’t stare, he didn’t even talk to him, really, but he was definitely observing.

 

Seungcheol understood why. The kid was from China, knowing the least amount of Korean than any of the foreign trainees ever to enter Pledis. He didn’t understand anything about Korea, Seungcheol would even bet that he didn’t understand anything that anyone said to him.

 

He watched from the window of one of the closet-sized rooms, watching the kid - Minghao, if Seungcheol remembered that right, sit down against the mirror, staring at the floor like he was trying to take everything in. That must have been a lot to handle. Being surrounded by twelve boys he didn’t quite understand or know.

 

He watched how Joshua walked over, waved and gave a little half smile. Minghao looked up at him, stiff, his eyes wide - the same as when Seungcheol had first confronted Joshua a few months ago. He was afraid, untrusting.

 

Joshua just sat down beside him, though, his guitar on his lap, playing away on his guitar. Seungcheol watched the tension fall from Minghao’s shoulders, his eyes not so wide anymore as Joshua continued to play. They didn’t say a word to each other. Minghao didn’t know Korean and Joshua’s accent was too thick for any non-Korean to understand, and yet, he seemed to trust Joshua.

 

He knew how much Joshua struggled, how badly he’d wanted to give up at times, but Seungcheol was so proud of how far he’d come. He was even starting to make others feel at home here, too.


	2. jihoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jihoon is working himself into the ground. seungcheol plans to fix that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! new chapter~ this takes place shortly after mansae ended promotions. i hope you enjoy!

“Jihoon hyung isn't here yet, is he?” Mingyu asked, pouting, definitely looking a little sad.

 

Seungcheol understood why, and honestly, he was a little upset with Jihoon himself.

 

Mingyu was really happy to cook a real, actual meal for his members after their  _ One Fine Day  _ disaster - with some help from Seokmin and Seungkwan. They all worked really hard on it, and they had a fun time doing it too - Seokmin even suggested beforehand that they invite Jihoon to help, but Mingyu shot it down - saying Jihoon wouldn’t want to, and hearing that made Seungcheol sad. Jihoon liked hanging out with the kids, even if he wasn’t doing anything. He knew that if Jihoon wasn’t so caught up in his own head, he would have gladly helped them.

 

But even though Seungcheol had told Jihoon in advance to come back to the dorms at least on time for the dinner, he wasn't there. And Seungcheol had a feeling he wasn’t going to show up.

 

“I'll go get him, Mingyu. Maybe he just lost track of time?” Seokmin tilted his head as he patted Mingyu’s shoulder, and Mingyu gave a tiny shrug of his shoulders. He knew as well as the rest of them that that was unlikely, considering how much Jihoon had been working since their promotions ended. He had practically locked himself up in his studio.

 

Seungcheol sighed. “I’ll come. I need to talk to him about that.”

 

Mingyu was chewing on his lip, looking a little nervous as soon as Seungcheol said that. “Hyung, it’s not a big deal, you don’t-”

 

“It is a big deal. He can’t keep doing this, and I’ve been meaning to talk to him anyway.” Seungcheol insisted, a little uncomfortable with how silent the room became - granted, the only ones currently in the kitchen were him, Seokmin, Mingyu, and Seungkwan. He figured they knew that a talk with Jihoon, especially now, wouldn’t go very well. “Okay, you guys can set everything up and start eating if you want. We’ll be back soon.”

 

And they walked off.

 

* * *

Seungcheol had this strange feeling I'm his chest as soon as he and Seokmin stepped into their company building - the section where they would practice, record, and all of that. The lights were all off - today was an off day, so he supposed the staff didn't expect anyone to be in here. To that, Seungcheol would say they didn't know Jihoon well enough.

 

Jihoon had always been like that. Overworking himself with no limits, not realizing that he was hurting himself and his friends by doing that. Seungcheol had scolded him a million times - even in tears, once, but Jihoon had never changed that about himself since the day they met.

 

It hurt Seungcheol's heart, really.

 

Seokmin had already disappeared into the hall where Jihoon's recording studio was while Seungcheol let his mind wander off. He followed slowly, kind of dreading having to confront Jihoon. The kid was unbelievably stubborn.

 

“ _ Hyung! _ ”

 

Seungcheol felt his heart stop for a second, wondering if he was hearing things, but that was definitely Seokmin screaming, and he wouldn't do that for no reason. Something was wrong.

 

When Seungcheol finally made it to the doorway, his heart stopped for the second time that day. Seokmin was scooping and unconscious Jihoon from the floor into his arms.

 

He grit his teeth.

 

“Hyung, he's not waking up, he's - he's not -” Seokmin was bawling with the smaller in his arms, absolutely devastated. Seungcheol almost cried along with him, even though he had no idea what was going on, even though he knew he had to keep a level head despite everything.

 

He knelt down beside the two of them, trying his best to keep his breaths steady and calm. Jihoon was definitely unconscious - passed out or just asleep, though, that was the part he didn't know. It looked like Seokmin had just found the latter on the floor, and Jihoon had a perfectly good couch in his studio. Seungcheol had a feeling he wouldn't fall asleep on the floor when he had the couch right there.

 

"Put him down for a second, okay?" Seungcheol asked softly, a hand on Seokmin's shoulder. The kid almost looked tempted to flinch back, as if he were afraid Seungcheol would hurt Jihoon - as if he felt he needed or protect him - but he lowered him back down to the ground, slowly, hesitantly.

 

Seungcheol sometimes forgot how small Jihoon was. Sure, it was funny for a while, and it used to be all he thought about. Seungcheol teased him the second they met about it, but over the years, he saw past it. Jihoon had much too big of an attitude to let his height dictate any part of his personality. But it was times like this where Seungcheol was afraid he would break him, and he understood Seokmin's moment of hesitation.

 

He pressed a hand to his cheek and found his temperature to be fine. Normal. A weight was lifted from his chest. His hand moved to under his nose, to chest his breathing - and that was fine, too. Normal. Another weight was lifted from Seungcheol's chest. He felt for a pulse on his wrist - he knew that was a bit extreme, considering his breathing was fine, but he had to make sure.

 

His pulse was okay. Another weight lifted.

 

"I think he just fell asleep, Seokmin," Seungcheol said as he looked up to meet the youngster's very worried gaze - he was holding his hands to his chest as if trying to hold himself together, his eyes still flooded with tears. "Let's take him back to the dorms so he can rest. Okay? He'll be just fine."

 

Seokmin looked like he wasn't entirely convinced, but his tears seemed to finally come to a stop, and he gave Seungcheol a tiny nod.

 

Seungcheol was certainly still worried about Jihoon. He was pale, and Seungcheol could see a very heavy exhaustion tugging on his features. It almost made Seungcheol sleepy just to look at. If he was really in such a deep sleep that he hadn't even stirred from Seokmin's scream earlier, he must have not had a good night's sleep in a long time.

 

He was still worried that Jihoon had passed out, for sure.

 

They got back pretty quickly, considering Seungcheol had carried Jihoon on his back the entire way there. Seokmin offered a million times to help, but Seungcheol might have been a little stubborn and insisted it was fine. Jihoon was very light, but any amount of weight could become tiresome after a while.

 

He caught everyone's deeply concerned stares as soon as they made it back into the dorms. This wasn't the first time this had happened - Seungcheol carrying and unconscious Jihoon, but it wasn't the kind of thing that became less worrying over time. It was the opposite, actually.

 

He was careful when he placed Jihoon back into his bed, not wanting to wake him. Of course, he wanted nothing more than to scold him right now - but Jihoon really needed as much rest as he could get, and Seungcheol needed to push his feelings out of the way so Jihoon could do that.

 

He shut off the lights, and joined the others in the kitchen.

 

Most of them had eaten already - Mingyu was still waiting there in his apron, looking a little guilty, his puppy eyes glued to the floor.

 

Seungcheol explained the situation to the kids left in the kitchen - trying to make it seem much less than it was, because the last thing he wanted was for them all to worry about him. Jihoon wouldn't want that either, he was sure of it. So he just told them that Jihoon fell asleep. Thankfully, Seokmin got the memo, and didn't say anything further.

 

"Is he okay?" Mingyu murmured as Seungcheol scooped a bit of what Mingyu and the others had made for him - not much, though, he didn’t really have much of an appetite at this point.

 

“He’ll be fine. He just needs to rest, that’s all,” Seungcheol told him, tempted to smile to give the kid a bit of reassurance, but he didn’t have it in him to lie like that. He had a feeling Mingyu knew that this wasn’t good.

 

Mingyu just gave him a tiny nod. “I left some for him, when he wakes up.”

 

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate that, Gyu,” Seungcheol said as he sat down, this time, smiling up at him.

 

* * *

 

“Jihoon.”

 

Seungcheol didn’t waste any time when Jeonghan told him that he found Jihoon to finally be awake, when he went back to their room after coming home from a walk with Joshua. 

 

Jihoon was sitting in his bed, curled up in some sort of defensive position, his eyes never once glancing up to meet Seungcheol’s - glued to his phone instead.

 

He huffed angrily as soon as Seungcheol made himself known. “Don't start, Cheol, I've heard it a million times - ”

 

“Okay, well you're hearing it again.” Seungcheol huffed back, nearly snarling at him. He stood at the corner of the bed, his hands gripping the edge. “You didn't see Seokmin cry. You didn't see how scared we were when we found you. You didn't see how worried the kids were when they saw me carry you back. And even if you did, you'd ignore it, because that's how you are. But you  _ have  _ to stop.”

 

Jihoon was silent for a few moments, finally putting his phone down to face the situation. Seungcheol was very aware that Jihoon didn’t want to talk about this, especially not with Seungcheol.

 

“I can't just  _ stop,  _ Seungcheol.” Jihoon finally snapped at him, although weakly - his tone still soft, like it hurt him to say. “We weren't anywhere near a win for  _ Mansae _ , or last time, and that's my own fault. I let everyone down. And I'm not letting it happen again.”

 

Seungcheol’s eyes were burning with oncoming tears. He was angry, but more than anything else, he was worried out of his mind. “Lee Jihoon, do you  _ really  _ think any of us here care more about getting a  _ music show win  _ over your well being?” “If - if I have to find you passed out on the floor every time you're in that damn studio, then I don't even want it! Nothing's worth it if you're ruining yourself, Jihoon!”

 

Jihoon was dead silent after that, and Seungcheol nearly burst into tears on the spot.

 

His head still stayed where it was, hanging down and studying the details of his bedsheet. Seungcheol would rather argue with him for hours than just watch him sit in complete silence, because at least when they were arguing, Seungcheol knew what he was thinking.

 

He took a seat on the middle of the edge of the bed, so he was within reach of Jihoon, but not too close in case Jihoon didn’t want him there. The kid still didn’t budge.

 

“No one here wants you to waste away if it means we get a win. We know how hard you're working. We see it every day,” he told him softly.

 

Seungcheol didn’t even notice that Jihoon was crying until his eyes followed where Jihoon was looking - at the sheets - to find wet drops falling every now and then.

 

Seungcheol had seen Jihoon cry maybe three times in all of the years they had been friends, and it never failed to put another crack in his heart. He didn’t want to make Jihoon cry. He knew that he wasn’t the direct cause, but he didn’t mean to push him to that. He was only trying to help.

 

He didn’t hesitate to scoot closer and wrap his arms around Jihoon. He was expecting the younger to resist, to push him away or tell him to get away from him and leave him alone, but Jihoon’s arms fell around Seungcheol as soon as Seungcheol squeezed him. He had successfully made Seungcheol’s tears fall, too.

 

“All I want is for you to be happy, Jihoonie,” Seungcheol murmured sadly, trying to keep his voice steady despite his tears, “you’re not happy if you’re working yourself into the ground, and I know that. I can see it and it hurts me so much.”

 

Jihoon didn’t respond, but his grip on Seungcheol’s shirt tightened, and he pulled him a little closer. He knew just how much Jihoon was hurting. He didn’t need to be crying for Seungcheol to see that.

 

“Please take better care of yourself for me, Jihoonie. Please, that’s all I ask of you,” Seungcheol told him, and he felt Jihoon nod into his shoulder. “You matter the most. You’re our backbone, we can’t function if you’re broken.”

 

“ _ You’re  _ our backbone,” Jihoon puffed back at him.

 

“Are you kidding me? Don’t argue,” Seungcheol giggled at him, squeezing him a little tighter. He didn’t know what he would do without Jihoon, and he’d been saying that since the beginning. He couldn’t function without Jihoon, and Jihoon couldn’t function without Seungcheol.

 

Hell, they had so many people in their group, this operation might need two backbones anyway.


	3. minghao

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> minghao is far too stubborn for his own good. seungcheol plans to fix that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone!! i'm so sorry, i didn't even realize how long it's been since i posted something!! i went to see BTS in may and after that i've been really lacking in motivation for some reason lol. but i finally finished this chapter and my motivation is back so i've got more coming!
> 
> this one was difficult to write because i didn't want it to be too similar to the last chapter lol. i kind of have a problem with structuring everything the same so i'm sorry about that! hopefully this chapter is ok lol.
> 
> this takes place during boomboom promotions!

Seeing Minghao under the bright hospital lights made Seungcheol's heart sink all the way into the pit of his stomach. He thought he just looked a little tired before, possibly even a little better, but now, he had to face the fact that Minghao was definitely not okay.

 

The kid looked absolutely awful - paler than Seungcheol had ever seen him, which was obvious in contrast to his bright red hair. His eyes were so sunken in that he looked half dead. He didn’t look like that in the car, backstage or on stage at the music show - maybe Seungcheol didn't really notice until now, or maybe Minghao somehow didn’t let himself look unwell until he was somewhere no one could see him.

 

Seungcheol was pretty impressed if that was the case, but honestly, he wished Minghao wasn’t as stubborn as he was and just stayed home that day. Clearly, he had gotten worse because of their busy schedule, and those heavy bomber jackets their stylists had put on them certainly didn’t help.

 

“Hyung, you have my bag, right?” Minghao murmured weakly as Seungcheol finally sat down in a chair one of the nurses had brought in for him. Seungcheol could feel his exhaustion through how hoarse his voice sounded.

 

“It’s in the car. Do you need it?” Seungcheol asked, already ready to get up and grab it for him, but Minghao shook his head.

 

“No. Just wanted to make sure I didn’t forget it,” he said, finally releasing the tension from his shoulders and relaxing back into the hospital cot.

 

Seungcheol was glad he could finally relax a little, even if Minghao was definitely a little more than scared of hospitals, but he had a feeling that his fear wasn’t as bad today because of how exhausted the poor kid was. He had somehow managed to get through a full day of a very stressful music show recording without so much as breaking a sweat.

 

Until Seungcheol found the younger leaned against the wall in the hallway on their way out, and when Seungcheol asked what was going on, he murmured something about thinking he might pass out just before going completely limp into Seungcheol's arms.

 

Seungcheol wasn’t  _ mad,  _ but he wouldn’t be lying if he said that Minghao didn’t stress him the fuck out sometimes. Minghao was really good at hiding things like that - he was extremely professional about those kinds of things in a way that left Seungcheol almost jealous, but today, it mostly just stressed him out.

 

When it happened, Minghao was only unconscious for a few seconds, but he was heavily disoriented when he opened his eyes again. The building's medical staff rushed over and laid him down in the hallway to check on him - it wasn't the most ideal place, considering it was kind of causing a scene and attracting members from groups outside their own. Seungcheol tried his best to block the view of anyone trying to get a look, mostly for Minghao’s sake.

 

Despite everything, Minghao insisted over and over that he was fine until they didn't sound like real words anymore, even when the medical staff suggested they take him to a hospital. He was too dizzy to stand on his own, he refused to eat or drink anything, but he wouldn't tell them what else he was feeling. Seungcheol understood that the younger just wanted to go home and sleep and not have anyone be watching him, but he also wanted or kick him for being so stubborn.

 

"Still dizzy?" Seungcheol asked him, taking note of how Minghao went back and forth in between screwing his eyes shut and focusing them on a specific spot of the ceiling.

 

"A little," Minghao answered, "my head hurts."

 

"Yeah?" Seungcheol was glad Minghao was finally admitting to  _ something,  _ at least. "Make sure you tell the nurses that when they come back, okay? And anything else you’re feeling. Please."

 

"I will," Minghao mumbled softly, going back to shutting his eyes for a bit.

 

* * *

 

The nurses finally came back, and Minghao hesitantly told them everything that was going on - he was dizzy, nauseous, his vision was blurring and doubling, his head hurt and his ears hurt more. Seungcheol couldn't comprehend how Minghao managed to hide all of that all day, and still perform perfectly.

 

The nurses didn't seem too worried, so Seungcheol tried to convince himself that it wasn't a big deal, but it was hard. He was scared. More scared than Minghao was, arguably.

 

They said they needed to stick him with an IV because it was clear that dehydration was one of the things causing him the most discomfort, something that Seungcheol hadn't even thought of. Minghao didn't take any of the offers to drink water that anyone had given him for whatever reason, and any water that was in his system was forced out when he threw up after the car ride to the hospital. It made sense.

 

Unfortunately, Minghao  _ hated  _ needles. Seungcheol had wondered if he was hesitant about telling anyone his symptoms because he feared being stuck with a needle would be the result. He tried his very hardest to look as calm and collected as possible, but Seungcheol knew how he could get.

 

Seungcheol squeezed the hand on his free arm very tightly when he saw Minghao starting to get worked up. "You're fine, Hao. It's okay," Seungcheol started, and he was thankful that Minghao usually didn't need much to calm down. He was good at regulating himself - he took deep and careful breaths, squeezing Seungcheol's hand back and turning his head so that the needle was completely out of his sight, even as his eyes were screwed shut.

 

He heard Minghao yelp when the nurse finally stuck him, but Seungcheol saw the relief on his face when it was finally over. He seemed okay as it was over and the nurses packed up their things, he just didn't want the needle in his line of sight.

 

"See? You're alive," Seungcheol gave him a little half-smile, but Minghao only huffed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The nurse left, and Minghao slipped his hand out of Seungcheol's grip.

 

"I was so worried about you. You scared me," he told him as soon as it was clear that Minghao was going to try to avoid it. His voice was stern but careful.

 

Minghao didn't bother trying to make any eye contact with Seungcheol. He kept his gaze off to the side. "I know, hyung,"  said, his voice incredibly small and weighed down from exhaustion. He just wanted to sleep.

 

"I  _ really _ need you to tell me the next time you're not feeling well, okay?" Seungcheol asked quietly.

 

Minghao just gave a tiny nod. He didn’t want to hear it. He was tired and he wanted to rest.

 

Seungcheol paused, hoping Minghao would at least give some sort of verbal response, but he didn’t. His eyes were nearly shut and his head was laid comfortably in the pillow, facing away from Seungcheol.

 

"I'm serious, Minghao. I'm - you really scared me. I'm still scared." Seungcheol knew there was no point in arguing with the kid, half asleep or not. Minghao didn't like burdening other people at all, he didn't know how to put himself first. Seungcheol didn't either. "Even if you would’ve just let me know before or something, that would've been okay. So I could've kept an eye on you. I don't - I don't know what I would've done if something happened to you."

 

Minghao's eyes were shut and his body was completely relaxed now. He was definitely at least almost asleep.

 

Seungcheol had to aggressively wipe at the tears that started to form in his eyes.

 

* * *

 

“Looks like Labyrinthitis.”

 

Seungcheol had to be a little relieved. A manager had suggested it could be a small stroke, and Seungcheol didn’t even want to process that as a possibility. They could handle an ear infection.

 

"The symptoms should go away soon and they can be helped with the medication, but the illness itself won't clear up for a while. He'll need to be careful, considering he's a dancer and the main symptom of Labyrinthitis is vertigo."

 

Seungcheol nodded. Minghao wasn’t going to like the news, but Seungcheol was going to make sure he would look after him.

 

"You can go home if you want, Seungcheol. I'll be here," The manager said after the nurse finished explaining some things, but Seungcheol shook his head as soon as the words left his mouth.

 

"I can stay. He doesn't like hospitals and I don’t want him to be alone here," Seungcheol explained to him, not even considering leaving for a moment. He was tired too, of course he was, but he wasn’t leaving Minghao here.

 

The manager raised an eyebrow. "I'll be here. He won't be alone."

 

Seungcheol sighed. "Please don't take any offense to this, but I just don't want him to wake up to someone he doesn't know in a place he hates."

 

"That's fair," The manager shrugged, and Seungcheol was relieved he didn’t try to argue.

 

* * *

 

Thankfully, it wasn’t long until they decided to let Minghao go.

 

"There you go. Careful." Seungcheol warned as Minghao tried to push himself off the bed - it wasn’t going very well, he was still dealing with vertigo and he couldn’t exactly stand up straight without leaning on something or someone. It was kind of hard to watch - Seungcheol wished the kid would just take the help he was offered. "You sure you don't want the wheelchair? At least on the way to the car."

 

Minghao stubbornly shook his head. Seungcheol wasn't anywhere near surprised, but it still wasn’t working. He still needed help. Seungcheol decided to stop asking him for input and took his arm, offering himself for the support that Minghao clearly needed.

 

"I'm really tired," Minghao mumbled once he was on his feet. They hadn’t been there for more than about two hours, so Minghao didn’t get to sleep very long - Seungcheol wished he didn’t have to wake him so early, but he was sure Minghao would  _ much  _ rather sleep at home than in the hospital.

 

"I know, kiddo. We'll be home soon and you can rest as long as you need," Seungcheol assured him. That wasn’t exactly true - they had something scheduled for early the next morning, but Seungcheol was going to make sure that Minghao slept enough for him to feel a little better tomorrow, at least. He knew that the company wouldn’t give him a pass for an ear infection - not that Minghao would even want to step out of promotions, anyway. He hated being alone.

 

"I’m sorry for what I did,” Minghao said quietly as Seungcheol led him out to the lobby on their way to the manager’s car. Seungcheol wanted to be happy that Minghao finally acknowledged it, but he sounded so sad. Seungcheol had to bite his lip. “I’ll tell you next time, I just...I thought I could handle it.”

 

“You can’t always handle everything by yourself, Hao. You have twelve people to choose from at all times that can help you. That you can trust,” Seungcheol told him. He didn’t want the younger to think he  _ always  _ had to come to Seungcheol about those kinds of things, Seungcheol just wanted him to know that he didn’t need to keep things to himself anymore, “I’m glad you’re okay, but no more hiding.”

 

Minghao gave a tiny nod again, his face blank, and Seungcheol couldn’t help but ruffle his hair - it got him to smile a little, at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hopefully this one was ok!! im trying really hard to get motivated again lol
> 
> be sure to subscribe or bookmark for upcoming chapters~
> 
> i appreciate feedback so comment if you'd like ♥ thank you!! talk to me or send me requests on my new tumblr [here](https://infinityxu.tumblr.com/) on tumblr if you wanna! ♥

**Author's Note:**

> i hope yall enjoyed this one! be sure to subscribe or bookmark for upcoming chapters~
> 
> i appreciate feedback so comment if you'd like ♥ thank you!! talk to me or send me requests on my new tumblr [here](https://infinityxu.tumblr.com/) on tumblr if you wanna! ♥


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